of Rural Art cmd Taste. 



107 



ing the summer months, is the Gloxinia ; a 

 bulb that any novice may readily grow. The 

 new varieties this year are "legion." The 

 Gardener^ s Magazine says : " Those who buy 

 all the new Gloxinias that are offered will do 

 themselves no harm, for there is not a bad one 

 in the market." 



The Zonule Geraniums are decidedly fash- 

 ionable, not only in this country, where they 

 bloom so continuously beneath our hot sum- 

 mer sun, but all over Europe as well. In 

 speaking of the novelties in this line, our au- 

 thority says : " Rienzi, a scarlet of great size 

 and perfect form ; Jessica, maroon crimson, in 

 large globular trusses, and Zenobia, a bedder 

 producing vivid carmine-crimson flowers, are 

 genuine startlers, and carry forward the high 

 type of zonales by a great bound." Only two 

 of the variegated leaved varieties are men- 

 tioned, Henderson^s Keepsake, a golden tri- 

 color of fine constitution, and Mrs. Carr ; the 

 leaves are almost wholly white. 



Poor old Hollyhocks, the pride of our an- 

 cestors, seem to have received the " cold 

 shoulder" during the past year. A few new 

 varieties, however, are offered by Mr. Chater, 

 the celebrated grower ; and we hope, for old 

 association's sake, if not for their intrinsic 

 value, these showy plants will still be grown. 



Verbenas, it is said, are looking up ; and 

 the novelties in this class are mostly good, and 

 some half-a-dozen new kinds are recom- 

 mended. Many of the best growers in Amer- 

 ica, however, prefer raising their plants from 

 seed — preferring health and vigor, to a cer- 

 tainty in color and size. 



We close our remarks with the Rose ; and 

 here we find such a host of candidates, that to 

 particularize might call down upon us some 

 sharp criticism. Nevertheless, the new varie- 

 ties are, in reality, less numerous than in pre- 

 vious years ; and the Gardener's Magazine 

 describes but five as the best, in its judgment, 

 viz. : Perpetuals — Jea7i Dahnas, Prince Paul 

 Demido^', Captain Christy, Baronne Vittat, 

 Perfection des Blanches, Peach Blossom, Star 

 of Waltham, and Beauty of Thames. 



In Teas, Ophelia, clear yellow, and Shir- 

 ley Hibberd, delicate nankeen. 



Kalmia Lcttlfolla.—This shrub, gener- 

 ally known as Laurel, is without doubt the 

 most beautiful of our native plants, though 

 not as showy as many of the tribe to which it 

 belongs (the Rhododendron) ; for many situa- 

 tions it is far more desirable — being perfectly 

 hardy, symmetric in form and invariably a pro- 

 fuse bloomer. There has probably been more 

 unsuccessful attempts made to domesticate 

 this than any shrub we possess. This is to be 

 regretted ; yet, we hope all who have tried 

 will give it one more trial, as the writer has 

 seen hundreds taken from the woods and 

 planted in nursery rows, and not one in fifty 

 fails to grow. The only necessary care to be 

 taken is to cut all the branches to within two 

 inches of the main stem, and plant in ordi- 

 nary yellow loam, which should be enriched 

 with well-rotted manure or leaf mould. They 

 will make vigorous growth the first, and usu- 

 ally bloom the second season. For a fine 

 effect, they should be planted in clumps of six 

 to ten, each, upon the lawn. 



Tamarixriumosa.—M. Carriere writes 

 as follows in the Revue Horticole : 



" Nothing can be finer or more graceful 

 than this species, which is still so rare in spite 

 of the readiness with which it can be propa- 

 gated. Its numerous slender branchlets, of a 

 glaucescent green hue, bear a certain resem- 

 blance to the curled plumes of the ostrich (or 

 the white stork), whence its popular name of 

 "Marabout." It flowers in August, about 

 the same time as T. indica. 



The flowers, which are disposed in dense, 

 erect panicles, have an airy lightness which 

 adds much to the elegance of the foliage, iso- 

 lated on a lawn or in a large park. T. plu- 

 mosa forms a compact mass of the most pleas- 

 ing appearance ; it is quite as hardy as T. 

 indica, and is propagated and treated in pre- 

 cisely the same manner. 



New Salvia.— The new Salvia alba, pure 

 white coiored flowers, but with same habit as 

 the splendens, must not be forgotten this sea- 

 son by amateurs. For ribbon beds plant the 

 splendens plentifully in the center and then edge 

 it around with a strip about a yard wide of the 

 alba. The contrast in colors is very decided. 



